As it features one of the pair in the famous duo, this silent film is included in the collection of Laurel and Hardy films, it was one of many shorts together with the leading star. Father (William Burress) is reading in the newspaper about young self-made millionaire Charley Chase from Baltimore visiting Los Angeles, and he is the type of man he wants his daughter to marry, even when she already is. The Daughter (Martha Sleeper) seems more interested in the big sheet sale going on, and she dashes to get to it, being chased by a policeman on a motorbike. When she causes Chase to drop his many golf balls on the ground, causing the policeman to fall off his bike, they get in his car together and chase her together. When she pulls over however, Chase sees her beauty and gets the policeman to let her off, and they rush to the big crowd outside the sheet sale place. They get in and are trying to get a sheet each, but all the tugging, tickling and crawling isn't getting them anywhere, at one point they even all grab the same sheet but have it nicked, and Charley pulls off the policeman's shirt. So everyone comes out, and with their clothes pulled all over, the three come out with the sheets they wanted, but the policeman, with no shirt and wearing the daughter's hat, has his badge taken off by another officer. He wants a fight with Charley who suggests they go down an alley, but his first swing punch hits another man and he chases him away so Chase and the daughter can go on their way. The daughter spots her father walking down the street, and knows he detests idle rich men, so Charley poses as a guy trying to be a hired chauffeur, who the father does hire. Back home father receives a telegram from Big Bill who demands $10,000 in exchange for the compromising letter he wrote to his sister which he threatens to give to the newspapers. So Charley drives him to Coffee Joe's where Big Bill is exposing his weakness for women and is waiting for father and the money, but the only way they can in is accompanied by a woman. After getting caught out, father dressed as a woman is chased away by a police officer, but Charley gets in with a womanly looking mannequin from the costume shop, pretending it is a woman who has had too much to drink. Charley pretends to dance with the mannequin and fools Big Bill to believe the "woman" is flirting with him, and wanting him to sit at her table, so he ditches his date and does just that. Charley has positioned himself behind the mannequin sitting down, using his arms to keep fooling Big Bill to believe the flirting, until he eventually shows him the letter. Charley takes it from Big Bill and knocks him out, but he spots the daughter coming in and can't be caught, so he crouches down, and Bill wakes up demanding the letter back from the mannequin, which he shoots. Charley pops up accusing Bill of murder, but the mannequin's head falls off, and Charley has to defend himself with a drum and a banjo to get thrown crockery from Bill's thugs bouncing back on their heads. The daughter has found the letter from the mannequin, and changes into its clothes, so Charley carries her out mistaking her for the mannequin, and tossing her through a window like one too. He manages to ditch Big Bill and has gang chasing him, and he tosses the daughter into a taxi, still thinking she is a mannequin, and the father, still dressed as a woman, has managed t ditch the policeman chasing him. Charley goes to get the letter from the "mannequin", and he is thrown through the taxi door by the daughter, getting not only the letter, but a black eye too. Also starring Charlie Hall as Man under car. I can see why Chase was really popular during the Golden Age, and Hardy gets his time on screen too, it has some really good sight gags, it was better than I thought it would be and I'd certainly watch it again. Worth watching!
Review of Fluttering Hearts
